The fourth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes and the fifth-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish began workouts on Tuesday in preparation for the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, January 2. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:12 pm. ET.

The game will be televised by ABC with Brent Musberger, Gary Danielson, and Jack Arute. The game can also be heard on the 73-station OSU Radio Network with Paul Keels, Jim Lachey, and Jim Karsatos.

Ohio State, who arrive in Phoenix on Monday, went through a full-contact practice at Pinnacle High School on Tuesday.

One player who was on the practice field after suffering a broken fibula in his right leg during the Buckeyes’ first defensive play against Michigan was linebacker Bobby Carpenter. Though held out of the contact drills, Carpenter was seen jogging, working out and testing his leg with lateral movements. The biggest question would be if he can plant off his right leg, then move to the left pain free.

Carpenter status for the Fiesta Bowl is up in the air, but that decision will likely come on Saturday when more x-rays will be taken after a week of workouts. Then it may come down to a game time decision, based on how it feels.

If Carpenter, Ohio State’s sack leader this season with eight is unable to play, true freshman James Laurinaitis, who filled in at the strongside linebacker position during the Michigan game and played well, will start in Carpenter’s absence.

Laurinaitis took all of the repetitions at linebacker along with A.J. Hawk and Anthony Schlegel during practice at the Woody Hayes facility in Columbus before the team headed to the desert.

Other Buckeyes’ coming off injuries that did practice full tilt were linebacker Mike D’Andrea, fullback Brandon Schnittker, and tight end Ryan Hamby. All three are expected to play after missing an extended amount of time this season.

Ohio State spent Tuesday’s practice working out the kinks following the break for the Christmas holiday, or as head coach Jim Tressel stated, “rust.”

“There might have been a little rust at the beginning but as practice went on you could see things starting to click. But the most important thing is that they want to compete against each other and get after it a little,” Tressel said following practice.

While Ohio State was going full contact, Notre Dame’s practice at Scottsdale Community College consisted of nothing more that wind sprints. The later that evening, the Irish headed over to Chase Field formerly known as Bank One Ballpark in downtown Phoenix, the site where Notre Dame lost 38-21 to Oregon State in last year’s Insight Bowl.

“A year ago, we left not feeling very good about ourselves,” Weis said. “This year, we’re hoping to go out a little different,” Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis said, even though he was not coaching the Irish this time last year.

“We’re facing a great opponent in Ohio State. I have the utmost respect for that whole program. But I’ll tell you this, we didn’t come out here to drink margaritas,” Weis continued.

Tags: Buckeye Football //